Arian Mestas

EDU 202
October 9, 2016

History of Education Timeline

1600’s
• Early Colonial education focused a lot on God, and reading, writing, and moral development
revolved around the Bible.

1635-The Boston Latin Grammar School was established. This was much like a prep school for boys and
was a rather exclusive school for boys of wealth. They charged tuition to teach boys between he ages of
7-14.

1636-Harvard College was established. Harvard was the first college in America and was first established
to prepare ministers.

• For the students still learning how to read and write, they would attend dame schools where a
respected woman would become the community’s teacher out of her home.
• An apprenticeship program was when boys were sent to live with masters who taught them a
trade. The master would take the place of the parents and were required to teach reading,
writing, and vocational skills. This path did not always lead to a well educated citizenry, a
more formal structure was needed.

1642- Massachusetts passed a law requiring parents and masters be checked on periodically to ensure the
children were being taught properly.

1647-The Massachusetts Law- More rigorous measures were taken to ensure the education of children.
This law required that Every town of fifty households must appoint and pay a teacher of reading and
writing. Also, every town of one hundred households must provide a (Latin) grammar school to prepare
youths for the university. Failure to do so resulted in a penalty of £5.

1700’s
• During the 1700’s, American Education was reconstructed to meet broader goals.

• Thomas Jefferson wanted to go beyond educating a small elite class or providing only religious
instruction. In addition to serving as the president of the United States he was the most eloquent
spokesperson for educations and the founder of the University of Virginia.

1749- Benjamin Franklin suggested a new kind of secondary school to replace the Latin grammar school.

1751-The Franklin Academy was established, free of religious influence. The Academy offered
mathematics, astronomy, athletics, navigation, dramatics, and bookkeeping. The Franklin academy
accepted both girls and boys who could afford tuition. The Franklin Academy eventually became the
University of Pennsylvania.

1800’s
• Despite everything the Native Americans had going against them they achieved educational
accomplishments.

1822- A Cherokee syllabary was invented allowing the Cherokee language to be written. Books were
published and Cherokee schools were bilingual.

• The federal interventions became more systematic and the Cherokee control over their education
diminished.
1824- The Bureau of Indian Affairs was established and they began placing tribes on reservations where
they continued to use education as a tool of cultural conquest.

1828-With the election of Andrew Jackson, many poor people were demanding for educational access,
and their voices were heard.

• Horace Mann became the nation’s leading advocate for the establishment of a common school, now
known as public elementary school, open to all. Mann helped create the Massachusetts State Board of
Education.

1837- Mann became the secretary of the Massachusetts State Board of Education, this is like today’s
superintendent of schools.

• Mann worked for effective teacher training programs and several normal schools were founded to
prepare teachers in pedagogy. He was opposed to corporal punishment and instead found ways to
positively motivate students to learn.

1874- The Kalamazoo, Michigan case ruled that taxes could be used to support secondary schools. More
parents were starting to view high school as an important stepping stone to better jobs.

1880- Because of Mann’s success in public education almost 10 million were enrolled in elementary
school.

1900’s

• High school was growing in popularity, but it did not meet the needs of all students.

1909-The first junior high school was established in Columbus, Ohio including grades 7,8, and 9.
1983- The National Commission on Excellence in Education, A Nation at Risk reported declining test
scores and weak performance of U.S. students. A Nation at Risk put school reform into the spotlight,
increasing the number of course requirements needed for graduation and required more testing of students
and teachers.
1918- The National Education Association focused on preparing adults for their life rolesThe committee
report, Cardinal Principles of Secondary Education identified seven goals for high school: health, worthy
home membership, command of fundamental academic skills, vocation, citizenship, worthy use of leisure
time, and ethical character.

• Progressive education broadens the school program to include health concerns, family and community
life issues, and a concern for vocational education.
• John Dewey was possibly the most influential educator of the twentieth century and probably the most
controversial one. He strongly believed in progressivism.
1920’s-1930’s- Although progressivism was introduced as early as 1875, it was not until this time that it
became widely known. In the 1930’s,
The Progressive Education Association initiated a study that showed graduates from progressive schools
did better overall, as far as a higher grade point average and better grades.

• African Americans didn’t receive the same educating and whites. They were being segregated, and
they weren’t getting the same funding as white schools.

1954-The Supreme Court decided that schools must desegregate. Brown v. Board of Education

200’s

• Even after desegregation, there were still separation between the black and white students. There were
measures set in place to try and solve this issue. Courts supported racial quotas and school pairing to
eradicate school segregation, but opposition to these measures grew.

2003- 2007- The supreme court eliminated and further backed away from these measures.